John Balzar (au). The Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race is a challenging & dangerous contest. Every February, a handful of hardy women & men set out from Canada’s Yukon Territory for Alaska’s remote Interior with teams of 14 dogs. Ahead of them lie 1,023 miles of frozen rivers, icy mountain passes, & spruce forests as big as entire states. In the darkness of 17-hour nights, temp. drop to 40 degrees below zero. Why would anyone want to run this race? To find out, Balzar trained & lived with these intrepid people. The result is a vivid day-by-day account of this adventure. We are given an understanding of the fascinating bonds between humans & sled dogs who are the true heroes of the story.